Geography GCSE
Revision guide Christmas 2014 Trial.
 Your exam will be 1 ¼ hours.
 We are going to give you an exam of just 2 questions.
o 1 question will be on Rivers and coasts.
o 1 question will be on Economic Development.
You studied both these in Year 10. There will be no choice of questions.
In the lists that follow, you need to understand the topics listed in the second column. You need to know how these
work, and what effects they have.
You must know a series of case studies. You will have learnt a number of case studies for each, but each group will
have done different case studies.
Write these into the last column. You should develop condensed notes for each and LEARN them.
A number of revision guides exist.
You need to get the right guide for this specification (OCR B) - other specifications and guides cover other topics.
A good one is available from Amazon, at £6.99
Or possibly this at £5.66
(this fits in with the textbook we use.)
OCR GCSE Geography B:
Revision Toolkit Student
Workbook by Mr Garrett Nagle,
Rob Clemens, Mr Andy Leeder
and John Belfield.
Questions for Investigation
a. How do systems help us
understand physical
processes that operate in a
river basin?
b. How does river flooding
illustrate the interaction
between natural processes
and human activity?
c. What processes and
factors are responsible for
distinctive landforms within
a river basin?
d. What processes and
factors are responsible for
distinctive coastal
landforms?
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Physical causes of river flooding.
The activities of people that can cause flooding.
Use of GIS, new technologies, satellite images, aerial photographs
and data in a variety of contexts to highlight flood management
schemes and their effectiveness.

How weathering, erosion, transport and deposition operate in a river
basin.
The formation of fluvial landforms, including meanders, interlocking
spurs, floodplains, river cliffs, valleys, waterfalls with appropriate
examples.
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e. Why is the management
of coastlines important?
Content
The units and links in the hydrological cycle.
The storm hydrograph and how it responds to changes.
The river basin as a system of inputs, flows, stores and outputs.

How weathering, erosion, transport and deposition operate along
constructive and destructive coasts.
The formation of landforms along a stretch of coastline, including
cliffs, headland, cave, arch, stack, beach, spit -with appropriate
examples.
Human and physical reasons why the protection of coastlines is
necessary.
Different methods of coastline protection including the
sustainability of each (examples include groyne, offshore
breakwater, sea wall, rip-rap, revetment, gabion, beach
replenishment and managed retreat).
Case studies
 one from an LEDC
 one from an MEDC
to illustrate the
 causes,
 effects,
 management of flooding.
One river valley and its
landforms
One coastal area and its
landforms.
One example of coastline
management, including:
 reasons for protection,
measures taken,
 resulting effects
 possible conflicts
My case studies

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a. What is meant by
"development"?

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How levels of economic well-being and quality of life are measured.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using economic and
social indicators?
How development has been described and mapped in the past and
assessment of its validity.
Sustainability of aid in terms of economic costs, impacts on the
environment and effects on people.
How might a more sustainable system of aid be created?
b. How and why are there
variations between the
employment structures of
different countries?

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How employment structures vary between countries.
How employment structures have changed over time and may change
in the future.
c. What determines the
location of different
economic activities?

The types of industry (primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary)
and the economic and environmental locational factors for each.
The environmental, social and economic reasons why the location of
economic activity changes.

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d. How do multinational
companies (MNC’s) affect
development?

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e. How can economic
activity affect the physical
environment at a variety of
scales including global

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Define a multinational company (MNC) and globalisation.
How MNCs affect employment opportunities and economic
development.
The effects MNCs have in the areas they choose to locate in and in
other places.
MNC’s have an increasing influence on employment opportunities and
economic development. What are the possible futures for
globalisation and its effects on specific groups of people?
How different economic activities affect the physical environment.
What conflicts develop between responsibilities for the physical
environment and the need for development?
The causes, effects and responses to global climate change at a
variety of scales.
The need to balance environmental concerns and the need for
economic development.
Managing these conflicts sustainably.

One aid project in an
LEDC.
Two case studies to
illustrate the factors that
affect the location of
different types of economic
activity
 one LEDC
 one MEDC
One example of an
MNC investment in a
specific area and in
an international
context.
One specific
development where
conflicts exist
between economic
development and
environmental
damage.